


Heaven Sent: A Fairy Tail Fairy Tale

by joliemariella



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-30
Packaged: 2018-05-25 00:18:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6172465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joliemariella/pseuds/joliemariella
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natsu Dragneel is the infamous 'Dragon Prince' who rules Fiore with the assistance of his carefully chosen council. His life is changed forever, though, when his dear friend Happy, is struck by an incurable disease. Desperate, he turns to the ancient fairy tales that tell of the Celestial Maidens, whose robes hold the power to do anything a determined man might set his mind to...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> At long last, here it is! This is why I haven't been updating 'One Wish', if you were wondering XD This is my entry for the Unison Raid Bang event hosted by ash-is-boss over on tumblr! I collabed with the wonderful chikaede for this story, and she did some super great cover art, please go check out her tumblr asap!
> 
> Remember to drop a review if you enjoyed! I'll be posting a new chapter every day, but they still mean so much to me!

_Once upon a time, in a world far different from our own, was the magical kingdom of Fiore. It was a prosperous place full of happy people, ruled by a good-hearted man known far and wide as 'The Dragon Prince'._

_This prince cared a great deal for his kingdom and its people, and did whatever it took to keep them safe and prosperous. In turn, his people loved him, and Fiore was considered one of the happiest places to live in all the world._

_Good of heart though he was, the Dragon Prince could be rash and hot-headed, making him prone to rushing into conflict whenever trouble began to brew. Realizing this, he gathered a select group of trustworthy individuals to advise him for the sake of his people. Though he might not have been the wisest person in the kingdom, he_ **was** _smart enough to rely on those who were._

_Besides these wise and knowledgeable people, the Dragon Prince had one particular companion who had been with him since childhood; an Exceed by the name of Happy. Being the very best of friends, wherever the Prince went, so too did the cat._

_One day, though, tragedy befell the castle when the little feline was struck by a strange illness. So terrible was it that even the kingdom's Master Healer, Wendy Marvell, was unable to help, despite her formidable power. Watching the Prince's dear friend suffer pained the kindly healer, but all she could do was suggest that he seek help from another quarter._

"Your Majesty, I am sorry," the petite bluenette murmured with a deep, apologetic curtsy, "there is nothing I can do. However," here, the Prince's expression lightened as a ray of hope presented itself in her words "perhaps the Master Librarian could be of more help than I."

_Though he was uncertain of how the keeper of his kingdom's vast collection of books and tomes from across the world could help where the Master Healer could not, the Dragon Prince immediately set off to find out._

"Levy!" Natsu bellowed as he pushed the doors to the library open with a bang that made books jump on their shelves, and a fine layer of dust drift down from the lofty peaks of the ceiling far above.

Halfway up a ladder some distance over the Prince's head, the Master Librarian yelped and clung fiercely to the shelf before her to keep from falling. Her effort was for naught, though, when a thunderous sneeze that set books flying and knocked her ladder out from beneath her feet escaped the prince. She dropped with a scream, only to land safely in the Prince's arms before she had a chance to hit the floor.

"There you are," Natsu said, sniffing sharply in an attempt to clear his nose of dust. When he looked ready to sneeze a second time, Levy clambered quickly to her feet and stepped to one side.

To her relief, a second attack never came, so she asked "What may I help you with, Your Highness?"

Rubbing absently at his nose, a frown crossed Natsu's normally cheerful features as he recalled his purpose in being there.

"I need your help finding a way to cure Happy," he explained. Seeing her about to object, he continued before she could speak "Wendy has no idea what's wrong with him, and her magic hasn't even made a dent in whatever it is. She suggested you might be able to help instead."

"Yes, I had heard that Master Happy was quite ill, but I had no idea it was so serious that Wendy couldn't help," Levy said, brow furrowing as she nibbled her lower lip in distress "But I'm not sure what it is I'm meant to be able to do…"

"C'mon, Levy, you're the most knowledgeable person in the kingdom," Natsu insisted desperately as he waved a hand at the vast array of books that surrounded them. There were not many she had not read in her relatively short duration as the Royal Library's Master "haven't you've read about _anything_ that could help Happy?"

"I-" the woman began, only to pause as something in her impressive memory cried out for attention, making her distressed expression turn thoughtful.

Natsu could see the change in her demeanor, and a small, hopeful smile pulled at his thin lips as he said "See, I'm right, aren't I?"

"M-maybe," the girl admitted hesitantly, not wishing to get her Prince's hopes up too high "Give me a moment, your Highness, I just need to find the right book," she said, and quickly disappeared into the stacks.

_And so the Prince waited, and waited… and waited some more for Levy to return from her search in the labyrinth that was the royal library. He himself rarely ventured into its depths, and he did not do so now, knowing full well that he would only slow his Librarian down. Still, it was difficult to wait, as the Prince was not a naturally patient man, so he paced until he felt he would wear a tract in the floor._

When Levy finally did return some hours later, it was to find her Prince asleep at one of the Library's many research tables. Some thoughtful servant had tucked a blanket around his shoulders as he rested his head on a stack of books, a quiet snore escaping him every so often.

"Highness?" she ventured quietly as she placed a large, ancient looking book on the table across from him, not wishing to startle the man.

"Huh? Wha-" the man snorted, jerking upright so quickly that the books he had been resting his head on skid wildly across the table, while another fell into his lap "Was just resting my eyes," he insisted as he rubbed fitfully at them, his rose colored hair sticking up in all directions (even more so than usual).

"Of course, your Highness," the Librarian said with a small smile as she opened the large tome she had fetched from the stacks and turned to a marked page.

"You find something?" Natsu asked eagerly when he noticed what she had brought to the table with her "You were gone so long I thought I was gonna have to send out a search party," he joked. It was half-hearted, though, as his attention was fully locked on the book beneath Levy's hands, a certain desperation obvious in the set of his shoulders, and the way his dark eyes followed her every movement.

"I...maybe," Levy answered hesitantly "I have to be honest with you, though, Highness, this could very well be nothing but a myth with no actual basis in reality-"

"Yeah yeah, consider me warned," Natsu replied with an impatient wave of a hand as he leaned over the table in his urgency to hear what she had to say.

Hoping she wasn't dooming the Prince with false hope for his beloved friend, Levy said "Well, for centuries, there have been stories throughout our realm, and others, about the Celestial Kingdom. Have you heard of it?"

"Sure," Natsu replied as he leaned back in his chair and pursed his lips in thought "It's some kingdom that supposedly exists on the moon, right? They're some of Happy's favorite stories," he said, face falling at the mention of his friend.

"Right," Levy said with a nod, hurrying on before the Prince could settle into a grim silence "Stories say that they were an incredibly powerful, highly magical race that left the earth thousands of years ago and settled on the moon when they could no longer stand humanity's growing greed and warmongering."

"And you think they have something that could fix Happy?" Natsu guessed, not bothering to point out that these were fairy stories that had been passed down for generations. At this point, he was desperate enough to try anything.

"How am I supposed to get to the moon to even ask them?" he added, mouth pulling into a frown as his brow creased at the very idea. The moon seemed an awfully long ways away.

"You're not," Levy explained as she turned her attention to the book before her "I remembered this from some time back when Happy came in to see if we had any stories about the Celestial Kingdom that he hadn't heard," she explained with a sad smile "I showed him this one," the librarian continued and tapped a page.

Natsu leaned over in hopes of reading it, only to find that it was in a language he was unfamiliar with. Knowing this, Levy spoke again "It's about the hot springs found in the Phoenix Mountains. According to the story, once every full moon, maidens from the Celestial Kingdom descend from their kingdom and bathe there."

"Now," she continued, pushing on before Natsu could ask another question "The stories are old; old enough, and consistent enough, though, that it's possible there might be some grain of truth to them," Levy explained as she walked over to a map that hung on a nearby wall "After all, the springs themselves _do_ exist," she added as she pointed out their location "They're notoriously difficult to get to, though."

"Okay, so say I get to the springs; then what?" Natsu asked as he came up behind the Librarian to examine the map for a moment, then turned his attention back to her, arms crossed over his chest.

"Well, as we were saying, the people of the Celestial Kingdom are highly magical, and legends say that they store a great deal of this power in some object that they keep constantly on their person. Most myths say that the maidens who bathe at the spring keep their power in their robes."

"What, like a bathrobe?" Natsu asked disbelievingly.

"Um, no," Levy said, doing her best to hide her amusement at the mental picture this painted "A celestial maiden's robe is like a long shawl, or a wrap that loops around her shoulders, and then trails behind her. Or so the pictures always seem to indicate," she explained as she turned back to the table and flipped a few pages in the book before coming to a faded illustration of a woman wearing just such a garment. Rather than actually resting on her shoulders, though, it appeared to float weightlessly around her.

"So this robe is what can cure Happy?" the prince asked as he leaned in for a closer look, and trailed a fingertip across the illustration.

"If it even exists...possibly?" Levy said with a helpless shrug "The robes are said to contain indescribable power that the wielder can use to do whatever they put their mind to. Including healing."

The librarian sighed and closed the book with a quiet thump "I'm sorry that I don't have something more concrete for you, Highness. There was simply nothing else that I could think of that would be able to accomplish what Wendy's healing powers could not. I have to warn you, though-"

The petite woman stopped and looked around as she realized that she was alone in the room.

"Highness?" she called, and hurried to the main door of the library, which had been left ajar "Your Highness?" she called again. As she pulled the door open and stepped out, she could hear a great deal of commotion in the distance.

"Oh dear," she said as she hurried down the hall towards the noise "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear."

She kept up this litany as she broke into a run and barreled around a corner, right into someone else coming from the opposite direction.

"Oi," grunted a familiar voice as strong hands grabbed her shoulders to keep her from falling.

"Lord Fullbuster!" she exclaimed breathlessly "His Highness, have you seen him? Did he come this way?"

"Yeah," the dark haired man said, brow furrowing in annoyance at the mention of the Prince " _He_ nearly knocked me on my ass too," Gray added as he raised an eyebrow at her and released his grip on her shoulders.

"I'm so sorry, but I have to catch up to him. He left before I could warn him," she said and broke into a run once more, leaving the man staring after her in some confusion.

"Warn him about what?" Gray called after her, but she had already disappeared from sight.

Levy ran along halls, down stairs, and across several vast chambers on her way out to the courtyard. She cursed Natsu silently as she did (though she would regret it later), knowing that the man had likely taken a much shorter route than she was forced to take. No doubt he had jumped off the nearest balcony, or out a window…

Well, one could never say that life under the rule of the Dragon Prince was boring, at least.

Panting heavily and clutching a stitch in her side, the Librarian finally arrived in the main courtyard to find it in utter chaos. Night had long since fallen, but there was a great number of castle staff and soldiers running here and there as a familiar figure bellowed orders at them over the noise.

"Sir Redfox!" Levy called as she pushed her way through the throng of people that surrounded the knight. Clad all in black and silver armor, even at this late hour, Gajeel cut a striking figure as he towered over those around him.

Hearing Levy, but not immediately spotting her, the Iron Knight glanced around until she called his name again and waved a hand to catch his attention.

Levy was relieved when he opted to wade through the crowd to meet her, rather than making her walk a step further "What's going on?" she asked "Is it the Prince? Have you seen him?"

"Yeah I saw him," the knight growled as he stepped subtly to one side to shield the petite librarian from the flow of foot traffic "Jumped out that blasted window and made a run for the stables while I was up on the wall," Gajeel explained, waving a hand absently at the battlement behind them "Next thing you know, he's tearing out of the stable on the fastest damn horse we've got, riding hell for leather into the night without a damn word."

"Oh no," Levy said, groaning at this news as she dragged her delicate hands down her face.

"'Oh no' what?" Gajeel demanded, looking at her sharply with crimson eyes that practically flashed in the dark "What's that damn fool up to now?"

The knight spoke harshly, but Levy knew that it was out of concern. For all he liked to call Natsu a fool (sometimes expanding this to 'sentimental fool' in certain circumstances), Gajeel respected the Prince; liked him even, when the wind was right.

The librarian sighed and quickly explained, wringing her hands anxiously as the knight listened, frown growing deeper by the moment.

"So you think he's gone off to try and get one of these robes to cure Happy," Gajeel summarized.

"Yes," Levy answered "But he left before I could finish explaining," she said, worry returning full force.

"Explaining what?"

Levy told him, and Gajeel swore.

"We've got to stop him," the Iron Knight said, eyes hard as he turned and headed for the stables "Full moon is tomorrow, yeah? No wonder he left so fast. Even he'll be lucky to reach the Phoenix Mountains before nightfall comes again."

"You'll never catch him if you can't stop him before he hits the mountains. The spring is almost impossible to reach for normal people, and _that's_ assuming you can even find the right mountain!" Levy said as she tailed after him and watched the man requisition the castle's second fastest horse.

"You told him where it was, right?" Gajeel asked as he stripped off his armor and tossed it aside, leaving him in a gray shirt, black tunic, and black pants. His armored boots he left on, having no others at hand to change into.

"I...yes?" Levy answered, suddenly very worried as she stared up at Gajeel, who clipped his sword back onto his hip and swung expertly up into the horse's saddle.

"Good. Come on," the knight said, leaning over and extending one calloused hand towards her.

"Excuse me?" the librarian exclaimed, taken aback.

"I need a guide, you know where our idiot prince is going, so get your tiny butt on the horse before I put it there for you so we can go stop him from doing something spectacularly stupid, as per usual."

Levy gaped at him, torn between fury at being spoken to so, and the truth of his words.

Eventually, she grimaced and said "Fine, but make one more comment on the size of my rear and you _and_ the Prince are on your own!"

Gajeel grinned and used her outstretched hand to haul her up into the saddle behind him.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the next chapter, all! Also, I totally forgot to mention last time, but this story is being Beta'd by my sister! (nighttimelights on FF and AO3, and nighttimesounds on tumblr!) So, big shout out to her for helping me wrangle my typos into submission, she's been a huge help!

_Unaware of what his subjects planned in his absence, or the folly he rushed towards, the Dragon Prince rode hard and fast to the east and the Phoenix Mountains. He changed horses when the first began to labor, dangerously close to exhaustion, then again, and again in his urgency to reach this destination in time. He himself stopped to rest only once, sleeping for a few brief hours under the shelter of a willow tree before moving on once more._

_He entered the mountains around midday, and drove his latest horse onward until the steep paths would allow it to continue no further, leaving him to make the rest of the journey on foot._

_Grateful that he had a keen eye for detail, the Prince found the mountain his Master Librarian had pointed to with relatively little difficulty. Climbing said mountain, though, was something else entirely. It was difficult, but not impossible, even for a normal man, until the final stretch._

_The peak could be reached only if one were able to climb a sheer cliff face made of stone so hard a pick-axe would bounce off of its surface._

_Luckily for him, the Dragon Prince of Fiore was no ordinary man._

Standing at the base of the cliff as the full moon slowly rose over the horizon, Natsu knew that desperate times had arrived, leaving him to resort to desperate measures.

The man took several steps back, then stripped off his coat and shirt, leaving his torso exposed to the chill mountain air. The cold was the last thing on his mind, though, as he doubled over with a grunt of pain while magic surged through his veins at his command. Crimson scales rippled across the sun-kissed skin of his back before a series of sickening cracks jerked sharply at his shoulders. Something heaved beneath powerful muscles while his skeletal structure seemed to rearrange itself.

Natsu grit his teeth and clamped his eyes shut against the agony, clawed hands clutching tightly at his shoulders, as though that were the only thing keeping him from flying apart at the seams.

A pair of vast, dark wings burst from his shoulders in one fell swoop, driving the prince to his knees, fingers scrabbling desperately for purchase in the dirt as his entire frame heaved. He toppled to the side as his new appendages flared and stretched, glistening wet from their sudden growth, then clamped themselves tightly around Natsu's prone, gasping figure.

Lifting one shaking hand, the Prince trailed his fingers through his hair, then down his neck and shoulders before turning to look at his legs and back, as though checking that nothing else had changed.

Finding nothing besides the claws on his fingers, and rather sharper teeth than normal, Natsu took a breath to gather himself, then got to his feet. It took a moment for him to get his balance thanks to his new wings, but it wasn't long before he turned his attention back to the peak.

"Hang on, Happy," he said quietly to himself, voice grim as he leaped into the air and propelled himself upward with a powerful down sweep of his wings.

_The Prince reached the peak in moments, and hid himself amongst some rocks, giving him a perfect view of the vaunted springs of the Phoenix Mountains. From where he crouched in the shadow of a large boulder, the Prince could see how perfectly clear and pristine their waters were._

_Even with such a view, though, he quickly became impatient, plagued with doubts on the course of action he had chosen to save his friend. Thoughts of chasing baseless fairy tales went round and round his mind as the moon climbed higher in the sky._

_Just as he was debating the decision to leave, though, a curious flash of brilliant light lit the mountain top._

Natsu threw up one arm to shield his face, and ducked back down behind cover until the light had faded, leaving him blinking rapidly to clear the spots from his eyes. The sound of voices behind him made him turn to peer down at the springs from the shadows once more, heart in his throat.

Remaining as still and quiet as possible, the Dragon Prince watched a scene the likes of which he had never seen before play out before him.

_The mountaintop was brightly lit by the full moon that hovered directly overhead, and yet, the rocks and trees cast no harsh shadows. The world itself seemed softer, somehow, more magical; but also, more_ **real**. _Colors were more vibrant, scents sharper, and the stars above brighter._

_As he watched, the moon seemed to grow in size, until three small fragments of it's pure, white light broke away from the whole and slowly drift down to earth, light as snow. These too grew as they descended to the earth, until each settled delicately at the edge of the springs and resolved itself into the form of a woman, each more beautiful than the last._

_The first maiden to appear had stern emerald eyes, and long, jade colored hair that framed her fair face and fell past her shoulders. On her obviously noble head rested a delicate crown of platinum._

_The second maiden seemed a few years younger, and was darker of skin, though her hair was short and white as snow. Her large, expressive eyes were a warm shade of cinnamon, and held a thoughtful light in their depths as she took in the world around her. On her brow was a crown of gold so finely wrought as to seem weightless._

_The third, and final maiden to appear had the longest hair of all, the golden strands falling past her waist from beneath a crown of silver sculpted to appear made of stars. Like her snowy haired companion, this maiden's eyes were brown, though darker, and richer in hue, like freshly tilled earth._

_All three were dressed in resplendent gowns and, more importantly, each wore a robe the likes of which the Prince had seen in his Librarian's book of fairy tales. They emitted an ethereal glow, marked even under the bright light of the full moon._

Practically vibrating with excitement at the appearance of not just one, but _three_ of the very things he had been hoping to find, Natsu did not immediately notice that all three women were beginning to divest themselves of their clothing as they spoke quietly amongst themselves. When he _did_ , the Prince immediately ducked back down behind his cover to wait, hands over his eyes to help him resist the temptation of looking again.

Physical appearance had never been something Natsu put much stock in. In fact, many of his female _and_ male advisers had lamented his inability to frame a suitable compliment to visiting dignitaries.

However, apparently even someone as blind as he was to appearances could not but notice the unearthly beauty of the celestial maidens.

The sound of quiet splashing followed by a lull in conversation told Natsu that the women had finally entered the water. After giving them a moment longer to get settled, he carefully turned and peered out from behind his cover to see all three seated and shrouded in steam.

Unaware that they were being watched, the second maiden remarked "The water is very nice, but was it really necessary to come so far for a bath?"

"Of course. It is tradition, after all," the eldest remarked with a small smile as Natsu slowly ducked from behind a boulder, to a copse of trees, the thick steam coming off the spring helping mask his movements.

"Mother always said that the water here did wonders for the skin," the third added with an absent smile as she pushed an errant leaf across the surface of the pool with a finger.

"I miss her," the second murmured into the silence that followed, and her sisters nodded their solemn agreement.

"We all do," the eldest maiden said eventually "Which is why I suggested that we resume these monthly outings of ours. Mother loved coming here, so I thought it would be..." her voice tightened as she spoke, and it was a moment before she was able to continue "would be nice if we continued to do so, in her memory."

The subject of the conversation between the maidens went unnoticed by Natsu, whose whole attention was fixated on their robes. All three had been neatly hung across a low branch on a nearby tree that almost seemed to have grown for that very purpose.

The Dragon Prince inched closer again when the moment of mournful silence passed and the women began talking again on less serious matters. He inwardly cursed the extra mass his wings gave him, but knew that he would need them for a quick getaway. Somehow, he had a feeling that none of the women in the springs would willingly part with what was theirs on a whim, and Natsu didn't have _time_ to sit and explain the situation to them.

Even now, Happy could be...

The man shook himself mentally and pushed forward until he was crouched directly beside his goal, the maidens' long gowns and the trunk of the tree they rested on his only cover from their eyes.

Clamping his wings as tightly around him as he could to reduce his size, Natsu took a moment to examine the robes. Despite the differences in their owners, all three magical garbs appeared the same, at least to his eyes. Long and transparent, their tail ends trailed lazily in the cool night air, as though they might float away on the slightest breeze. They glowed with a soft, pearlescent light, and when Natsu finally worked up the nerve to grab one, he found it to be impossibly soft, and strangely warm against his calloused fingers.

Careful not to rend it with his claws, the Prince carefully wrapped it around his neck like a scarf, where it hummed, almost comfortingly, against his bare skin.

As quietly as he could, Natsu backed away until he reached the cliff's edge, then leaped into night air and flew away on vast, silent wings.

He was long gone when a horrified cry shattered the peaceful quiet that had settled over the mountain's peak.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rolling right along. Here's a little Gajevy to spice up your NaLu soup XD  
> Thanks again to my sister nighttimelights for the Beta, and chikaede (on tumblr) for the great cover art! Also, remember to drop a comment if you enjoyed!

_Though they left mere minutes after their Prince, his Librarian and Iron Knight soon fell behind when their horse threw a shoe, slowing their progress. Their pace picked up once more, though, when they requisitioned a fresh horse at an inn, and had their spirits bolstered when they heard news that the Prince had done the very same only a few hours before._

_Their luck faltered again, though, when they entered the Phoenix Mountains and quickly became lost._

"What do you _mean_ you don't know where it is?!" Gajeel demanded loudly, startling their horse into a nervous prance.

"Well it's not as though I've ever actually _been_ here before!" Levy said defensively as the knight got their mount under control once more "Finding a place on a map, and finding the real thing are not at all alike," she admitted grudgingly.

"Yeah, no shit," Gajeel grumbled and nudged their horse into a trot again, weaving around several large boulders to make their way up an incline.

Behind him, Levy sighed and admitted "I believe the Prince's little traveling sabbaticals might be giving him the advantage over us. It seems he knows the entire kingdom like the back of his hand."

Gajeel just grunted in reply to this, though he was thinking much along the same lines. For years their prince had been sneaking out of the castle and disappearing for days or weeks at a time with no one but Happy, and occasionally Gray, the wiser to where it was he went. The only answer he ever gave was 'traveling'. It drove Chief Councilor Makarov mad, but they'd yet to find a way to stop him that didn't come down to chaining the man up in his room.

Levy held on tight to the man in front of her as their mount made its way down the other side of the hill. She sighed tiredly, and rested her head against Gajeel's back, the fatigue of their long journey catching up to her. She failed to notice the knight's shoulders tense beneath her temple.

As the Librarian allowed her eyes to drift shut against her better judgment, a faint sound reached her ears over the creak of the leather saddle, and the jingling of the horse's tack. She frowned to herself, just on the edge of sleep as she tried to identify what it might be.

"Do you hear that?" she finally asked her companion, the sound remaining persistent enough to drag her from her lethargy.

"Hear what?" Gajeel asked, glancing back over his shoulder at the woman as she sat up and looked around.

Suddenly convinced as to what it might be, Levy slipped her fingers along the man's arms and grabbed his hands. In his surprise, he allowed her to pull back on them, which in turn brought their mount to a stop in the center of the path.

Since she had begun to drift off, the trail had wended its way down into a valley. Dark, ancient trees loomed on all sides, heavy with hanging moss and thick, dark leaves that blotted out the moonlight.

In the sudden hush, they both heard it.

"Sounds like someone crying," Levy said, voice barely above a whisper as their mount's ears twitched nervously.

"Great," the knight drawled as he stood in his stirrups in an attempt to locate the source of the eerie cries "Like this place wasn't creepy enough as it was."

Despite her nervousness, Levy couldn't help but chuckle.

"There's some kind of light over there," Gajeel said finally and pointed, then settled back in the saddle before her. He glanced back at her again, apparently looking for input on their next course of action.

The girl blinked at him in surprise. She was so used to seeing the knight throwing around orders, that the idea of him actually _asking_ something was strange indeed.

After a moment, though, Levy said "We should…we should check it out," though her tone belied her own initial doubts. She'd read far too many tales of creepy forests and the spirits lost travelers could find within for her own good. Still, if there was a chance someone was in trouble…

"Yeah, alright," Gajeel agreed as he turned their mount towards the sounds of distress "Chances are we're too late anyways to catch the prince anyways," he grumbled to himself, clearly annoyed by this fact. Behind him and out of sight, Levy winced.

It wasn't long before both of them were forced to dismount and tether their horse to a tree as the ground became treacherous with thick undergrowth that concealed raised tree roots and pits that could potentially lame the creature and leave them stranded.

Luckily (or unluckily, depending on who one asked), the strange light was growing brighter, and the weeping louder. Great, heart wrenching sobs echoed in the dark, leading them on until the pair found themselves at the base of a massive tree. It towered over those around it, and Levy estimated that it would take at least eight full grown men to wrap their arms around its weathered trunk.

Whoever (or whatever) was crying was on the opposite side of the tree from them, the soft, silvery light it shed illuminating the ground. This made it a little easier for the pair to sneak around the tree without alerting their quarry, though Levy nearly ruined it when she went to say something, only to have Gajeel's hand clamp tightly over her mouth.

Sitting on her knees a few yards away from them with her face pressed into her hands, was a woman. She was dressed in a fine, pale blue gown cut to leave her shoulders bare, with long, trailing sleeves. Her skirts flared outwards from her hips across the forest floor from where she had apparently dropped to her knees in her distress, and left one bare foot peeking out from beneath its folds.

Fair, golden hair trailed down her back and over narrow shoulders that shook as she wept from beneath a crown of silver stars.

For a moment, Levy thought that perhaps her hair was the source of the strange, silver light, but she was quickly disabused of the notion as the pretty stranger doubled over in her distress and revealed its true origin. A set of long, gossamer thin wings grew from her back, decorated by shimmering whorls of white and silver. So fine were they that Levy could not only see through them, but she would swear they were crafted of light itself. She was tempted to compare them to a butterfly's, but no earthly creature had ever ridden the wind on such glorious wings.

As Gajeel's hand went slack over her mouth in his own surprise, Levy murmured a quiet "Wow."

The strange woman's head snapped up in alarm, her brown eyes wide in shock, and her tear stained face pale. Before the Librarian could say another work, the celestial maiden was on her feet and jumping into the air.

"W-wait! We just want to help!" Levy cried as she pulled away from Gajeel's hold on her and ran forward.

"Idiot!" the knight swore as he chased after his charge, head full of every tale he had ever heard of the Fair Folk cursing humans who dared intrude on their hidden ways and places.

Levy's words seemed to do the trick, though, without inciting the maiden's wrath. The blonde paused in mid-air, silver wings a blur as she hovered and glanced back over her shoulder hesitantly.

"How?" she asked with a small frown "You don't even know what happened."

"I can guess," Levy said, pushing Gajeel behind her once more with a gentle, but firm, hand. The man seemed unhappy about this, but kept his peace and watched the pair carefully as Levy advanced a few paces, hands out before her to show that she was unarmed.

"You're a celestial maiden, correct?" the Librarian asked as she took one step too many, causing the maiden in question to hover back several feet to keep out of the girl's reach. She seemed ready to leave again, though, so Levy hurried to add "Someone stole your robe, didn't they?"

The maiden looked surprised, then suspicious as she narrowed her eyes and looked from Levy to Gajeel, shoulders suddenly tense.

Realizing what the girl was thinking, the Iron Knight immediately threw his hands up and said "Hey, it wasn't us! Wouldn't be here if it were."

"Right!" Levy added quickly "But we know who did!"

"Tell me," the celestial maiden demanded, expression turning fierce as she moved towards Levy, who found herself nose to nose with the other woman before she could even blink.

Nervous now, the Librarian swallowed hard and said "Well, there's a Prince, you see, and he-"

"Just tell me _where,_ " the maiden demanded, formerly soft, brown eyes now a frightening shade of amber as the air around them became impossibly heavy.

"You'll find him in the castle directly East Southeast of here," Gajeel cut in immediately "Third floor of the South tower," he said, naming the location of Happy's room.

Though she was still nose-to-nose with Levy, the celestial maiden glanced past her to Gajeel, who had broken out in a sweat in the face of her anger. Levy herself was pale, and feeling strangely faint. Breathing had become significantly more difficult the moment the other woman had approached her.

"If you're lying," the blonde said as she hovered backwards, wings carrying her with an effortless grace "I will find you. You won't be happy when I do."

With those ominous words, the celestial maiden ascended with a flash and disappeared from sight, leaving the two humans breathless in the dark.

"Well," Levy said in a tremulous voice "That went...well."

Gajeel didn't answer, but the Librarian could practically feel him glaring at her.


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are! Lucky you, this chapter is more than double the length of the last one! I wanted to split it up, but there really just wasn't a great place to do it, unfortunately :/ Ah well, enjoy!
> 
> Thanks again to nighttimelights for the beta, and chikaede (on tumblr) for the cover art!

_The Celestial Maiden was the faster flyer, but the Dragon Prince had a tremendous head start on her, though he didn't realize it. She set her sights in the direction that the Iron Knight had pointed her, and flew with all her might. As the pale light of false dawn began to color the horizon, more than one early rising farmer mistook the Maiden for a shooting star, and made a hopeful wish._

Unaware that he was being followed, the Prince soared over the capitol city that surrounded his castle, his ill-gotten gains still trailing from around his neck in the chill breeze. The streets were mostly empty, the exception being a few supply carts trundling quietly to their destinations as they made their way in from the countryside and the farms found there.

As he neared the castle wall, Natsu began to descend, hoping that he was early enough that none of the staff would be out and about to catch him.

Unfortunately, his supply of luck seemed to have run out for the day. As he went to land in the courtyard broad wings casting long shadows in the light of the torches on the wall, he heard several people scream and cry out in alarm. The prince flinched, and immediately darted back up into the air once more as a shout went up from the battlements. He could hear guards rushing for their bows and putting arrows to string as he flew past. He sighed internally as a volley of arrows was fired at him by his own men, and bounced ineffectively off of his wings when he tucked them around his body and rolled nimbly to avoid a second round.

When a loud, familiar voice barked an angry order, though, the assault died off, leaving the prince free to circle around to the South tower of his castle with relatively little further outcry.

It was always like this when he transformed, and was the primary reason that he rarely did so. There were always those few new members of the guard and staff that had heard the tales but never quite believed them. Though, really, it wasn't being attacked that bothered him so much as the way people would _look_ at him for weeks or months after. There was always that little glint of fear that hadn't been there before, staring back at him from behind their eyes.

Seeing it never stopped hurting.

He circled the tower once, then landed on the wide balcony on the third floor and took a moment to compose himself.

Changing back to 'normal' was almost as painful as transforming in the first place, and Natsu had to grit his teeth to keep from screaming as his wings shrank and retracted into his back, and heavy scales slipped under skin and melted into bone. When it was done, the Prince carefully tugged the celestial maiden's robe from around his throat and pushed open the balcony door.

The room within was quiet but for the soft, concerned murmur between the two humans that sat beside the small bed that stood along one wall. On it lay Happy, curled up under his blankets, breathing labored as he slept.

"Your Highness!" Wendy exclaimed quietly as she got to her feet, dark eyes wide at his sudden appearance.

"Thought I heard an uproar outside," Gray drawled as he, too, got to his feet. He sketched the Prince a cursory bow while the Master Healer dropped him a more correct curtsy.

"How's Happy?" Natsu asked, barely acknowledging their niceties as he went immediately to his friend's bedside.

"Worse, I'm afraid," Wendy said as she ducked her head and frowned "Did you-"

"Is that what Levy sent you after?" Gray asked, cutting the girl off as he pointed to the gossamer thin fabric that had coiled itself around the Prince's wrist. It still glowed with a gentle, pearlescent light in the dimly lit room.

Natsu glanced down at the robe, and nodded as he unwound it from his arm and moved towards Happy. He had no idea what he was doing, but he had to try _something._ Before he could reach his friend, though, Gray stopped him with a heavy hand on his shoulder that made the prince look at him, confused and bordering on angry.

"What are you doing?" he asked sharply as he attempted to step around the other man. Gray moved with him, though, blocking his way.

"Look," the dark haired man said, expression serious "You need to think this through. Levy tore outta here after you the moment you left because she needed to warn you about this-" he paused and glanced down at the robe "thing. Did she find you?"

The prince blinked in surprise at this news, brow furrowed in thought before he replied "No, didn't see her," he looked at Happy, then, whose breath was frighteningly shallow now, and continued "But whatever she had to say...I don't think it matters at this point, do you? It's this or nothing."

Gray frowned, then after a moment's consideration, released his hold on Natsu's bare shoulder and stepped away, unable to argue.

Natsu glanced at Wendy to see if she were ready to voice an objection as well, but the young healer's attention was all for her patient. Her inability to do anything for the Exceed ate at her, and it was clear she wasn't about to argue with whatever might be able to cure him in her stead.

Mind made up, the Prince lifted Happy from his bed and tucked the cat into the crook of his arm. When he had the robe in his free hand, though, he hesitated, unsure of what to do next.

"Oh gods, you have no idea what you're doing, do you?" Gray asked when he noted the other man's hesitation.

"Do you? Cuz I'd love to hear exactly how to use a celestial maiden's robe to heal a Exceed, Gray," Natsu countered sharply, narrowing his eyes at the man.

The man opened his mouth to speak, but a small, gentle hand on his arm forestalled any snark that might have escaped him. Wendy stepped past him, and after an inquiring gesture, took the robe from Natsu. Under both their eyes, she ran it carefully through her fingers, eyes half-lidded as she felt the powerful hum of the magic within the garment.

Making a small, thoughtful noise, the Healer handed it back to her Prince and said "It's a powerful item, your Highness. I've never felt so much magic contained in a single place...perhaps it would be best to keep things simple."

"Simple?" Natsu repeated "What do you mean?"

"Something like a wish might do the trick, if you were to wrap master Happy in the robe," she suggested thoughtfully "Though I am only guessing," she hastened to add.

"I'll take anything right now," Natsu told her with a rueful smile as he carefully wrapped Happy in the robe with her help.

The fact that his friend hadn't so much as cracked an eye during the whole process only worried the prince further. He tucked the tail end of the robe across the cat's face, loose enough so he could breathe without difficulty, on the off chance that total body coverage might be necessary for the garb to do it's job.

In the distance, a cry went up outside once more, drawing Gray to the balcony door to see what was happening. Natsu, on the other hand, did not notice. All of his attention was on his friend as he gently bowed his head, eyes closed as he pressed his forehead to Happy's, and wished with everything he had.

_Heal him. Make him whole. Please_ _**.** _ _I don't know what I'll do if..._

Natsu's throat tightened, and his stomach dropped at the very thought, and he wished harder than ever as his grip on his friend tightened.

_**Please...** _

Wendy's gasp made the Prince's head jerk up in surprise as his eyes flew open. In his arms, the Maiden's robe began to glow so brightly that Natsu was forced to shut his eyes tight again and turn his face. As light filled the room, there was a sound of shattering glass and a grunt of pain from Gray somewhere behind him by the balcony door.

"What have you _done?!_ " cried a half-remembered voice as the light began to fade.

Vision full of spots, Natsu blinked rapidly and turned towards the source of the noise. The figure of a woman standing over Gray's prone form, silhouetted by the rising sun swam into focus. It took a moment, but as she stepped closer, the Prince recognized her.

The third Celestial Maiden, crown of silver stars on her brow, advanced toward him, her long silvery skirts trailing across Gray's chest as she stepped over him, shards of glass glittering at her feet.

"What have you done?!" she demanded again, expression torn between rage and agony as she stared at the bundle in his arms.

Before the prince could speak, a small, achingly familiar voice did so first.

"Natsu?" Happy mumbled, blinking rapidly up at his friend as he struggled free of his bindings like a fuzzy blue butterfly emerging from it's cocoon "What's going on?"

"Happy," was all the man managed to say as tears sprang to his eyes, and a strangled laugh escaped him in his relief "How you feeling, buddy?"

The cat perched on the Prince's arm and looked around blearily as he answered "Good, I think," only to pause as he saw the woman advancing towards them "Who is that?" he asked, pushing himself up against his much larger friend in his distrust of the menacing, if beautiful, stranger.

Natsu took another step back as the woman continued to advance, his free arm going to wrap around Happy as well to ward off any harm she might do to him "Someone I wronged," he admitted reluctantly as the Maiden's robe slipped from his arm to the ground at his feet when he turned to pass the Exceed off to Wendy. The young healer was still standing behind him, stunned by the strange scene unfolding before her.

In the distance, Natsu could hear the sound of the royal guard rallying to their Captain.

"Wronged, he says," the woman mimicked, voice choked, dragging the Prince's attention to her once more.

As he watched, the Celestial Maiden dropped to her knees and took her robe in shaking hands. Distressed fingers trailed unsteadily over it's dull, faded fabric, and Natsu was horrified when he realized that the once beautiful garment was now in tatters. The warm, gentle light it had once emitted was gone, as was its pearlescent sheen. It looked less like a Celestial Maiden's robe, and more like a burial shroud, ruined by weather and decay.

"I'm sorry," Natsu said without thinking as the girl kneeling before him buried her face in her robe and wept, shoulders shaking with the force of her sobs.

"I'm so sorry," he said again as he reached out to her reflexively. When his fingers brushed her shoulder, though, the maiden jerked back and stumbled to her feet, suddenly furious once more.

"You're _sorry_?" she demanded, a slightly hysterical laugh escaping her as she took a step back from Natsu "You've _ruined_ my robe, you monster!"

The prince flinched in the face of her wrath, but held his hands out before him in an attempt to placate her "I know, but I swear it was for a good reason. My friend was desperately sick, your robe was the only way to help him."

"You didn't even _ask_ , you just took it!" the blonde snarled, heart clearly untouched by his plight "Typical selfish human! Take what you please when it pleases you, no matter who it may hurt!"

"I'm sorry! There simply wasn't time, I couldn't be sure you'd say yes!" Natsu countered, taking a step back himself as the maiden began advancing on him, her ruined robe clutched in her hands "Look, I'll get you another, okay?" he offered hurriedly as his bare back came up against the wall.

The woman stopped mid-step, eyes going wide at his words. For a moment, Natsu thought that, maybe, he had managed to calm her with his offer. He had no idea how he'd get his hands on a replacement for her, but he'd manage somehow.

The prince's hopes faltered when the maiden began to giggle. He flashed her an uneasy smile that fell away almost immediately when her giggles escalated into hysterical laughter once more.

"Get me another?" she asked breathlessly when she was able to speak once more "Stars, you really have _no idea_ what you've done, do you?"

"Why don't you tell me?" Natsu suggested as calmly as he could, unnerved as he was by the coldness of her tone.

The woman eyed him for a long minute, as though looking for something. Whatever it was, she didn't seem to find it. All the righteous anger drained out of her then, leaving her somehow smaller than before.

"You...you stupid, hateful man," she murmured as tears welled in her eyes again and trailed down her cheeks to drip from her jaw onto the sad remains of her robe "You stole a piece of _**me**_ , a piece of my magic, my soul, and _used it._ Now look at it." she said as her words descended into a whisper at the end. She trailed unsteady fingers over the length of fabric once more, then, as though ashamed of her moment of weakness, buried her face in it to hide her tears.

Horrified by this revelation, and mind reeling, Natsu glanced helplessly around the room. Wendy stood to one side with Happy still in her arms, an equally horrified expression on her face. Happy mostly seemed confused, but also concerned for the distressed woman who was so angry with his friend. Gray was finally on his feet, and slowly making his way towards the door as the noise from the hall increased.

"I-I'm so sorry," Natsu said again, feeling not only like a broken record, but a monster, in the face of the Maiden's tears "I just thought was like...a magical item, I didn't realize it was a piece of you, I-"

"And now," the woman continued, ignoring the prince's words "-and now I can't even go home! I'll stuck here, alone, for...for-" her lip trembled dangerously as tears welled anew in the face of her plight "Oh what am I going to do?" she cried.

Aha! Here, something he could do!

"Please!" Natsu said, dropping to his knees and prostrating himself before the maiden so suddenly that she jumped back, startled "This is my fault. Stay here in my castle as my guest for as long as you need." He raised his head to look at her, eyes wide and earnest as he asked "Is there anything that will fix your robe? All of Fiore's resources are at your disposal."

The maiden's brown eyes were wide and red rimmed from crying as she gazed down at him, seeming torn between surprise, worry, and something a little more thoughtful.

"Well," she began, carefully loosening her grip on her robe so she could examine it once more. The sight of it nearly drove her to tears again, but she dragged her emotions back under control and tried to look at it objectively "You did not destroy it _completely_ ," here she looked at the man again, and was gratified to see him flinch at her words before she continued more thoughtfully "...so, theoretically, time and patience will see it returned to its former glory. It mends itself eventually, or so I am told."

"Then please," Natsu said with emphatic sincerity "Stay here for as long as you need."

Before the Maiden could answer, the door to Happy's room was kicked open with a bang that made Wendy yelp, and the Exceed clap his paws over his pointed ears. A heavily armored guard shoved through the shattered remains of the door and drew their sword in a fell swoop that had Gray scrambling back out of the way.

The blade was leveled at the Celestial Maiden, who stood stock still in her surprise, looking first shocked, and then furious at this development.

"Erza, stand down," Natsu barked, taking both women by surprise when he stepped between them, the tip of the offending blade grazing his adam's apple so closely that it drew blood. The red droplet that bloomed on his skin swelled, then tricked down the line of his throat in a thin line.

The Captain of the Royal Guard immediately sheathed her sword at the Prince's command, and dragged the heavy silver helmet from her head, revealing a pale face and stern eyes under a crown of crimson hair.

"Your Highness, just what is the meaning of all this?" Erza asked, frowning over Natsu's shoulder at the strange woman there, who scowled back just as fiercely.

"This is my guest…er-" the Prince hurried to answer, faltering when he realized he had no idea who the woman at his back was "What's your name?" he whispered as he turned to look at the maiden, wide-eyed.

The woman colored slightly with embarrassment and quickly replied under her breath "Um, Lucy. Third Princess of the Celestial Kingdom."

"Lucy, Third Princess of the Celestial Kingdom," Natsu repeated loud enough for all to hear as though he had known this all along. As an aside to her, he added in a quiet tone "I'm Natsu, Prince of Fiore," while Erza gave them both a skeptical look.

"I see," the redhead replied slowly, as her brown eyes roved over the scene before her.

"A strange guest," she continued after a moment's thought "to come in through the window and attack our people."

Erza glanced at Gray, who was absently massaging his chest, where he had been impacted by _something_ when Lucy came in through the balcony in a burst of fury and shattered glass.

"Er-" the dark haired man began to say, only to be interrupted by the prince.

"It was my fault," Natsu interjected, drawing Erza's attention back to him "I took something from the Princess without her permission and she came to take it back."

"You _stole_ something from a _Princess_?" the captain of the royal guard demanded, all of her disapproval suddenly focused squarely on Natsu, who flinched.

"Well, I really needed, it, see. Levy said-"

Lucy watched in disbelief as the pair began to argue back and forth between one another, suddenly doubting that this man truly was a prince if his own people spoke to him so.

"Come on, we'll find you a room in the guest wing," said a low voice at her shoulder, surprising the blonde into looking around. The man, Gray, stood there, an exasperated expression on his face as he watched the fight unfold. His prince was steadily losing ground against Erza "They'll be at it for hours."

"I…thought he said he was a prince," the woman stated skeptically "How can she speak to him that way, if he's royalty?"

"Easily enough, as you can see," Gray drawled as he firmly guided their guest from the room "Natsu may be royalty, but Erza has known him since before he could walk," he explained.

The arch of the Maiden's eyebrow told Gray that she did not quite accept this reasoning, so he continued "They're friends, it's why she's in charge of the Royal Guard; he trusts her more than just about anyone. That amount of trust gets you a certain amount of leeway with the Prince," he snorted softly, then added "But when it comes to the important stuff, he'll put his foot down, and she'll listen. The trust thing works both ways."

"I see," Lucy said after a moment's consideration, though she wasn't entirely sure that she did. What else was one supposed to say, though?

She was all eyes as they walked through the castle, side-by-side, by-passing halls full of bustling people in an uproar over her sudden appearance and the summoning of the guard into the castle proper; a rare occurrence, apparently.

This man, Gray Fullbuster, she learned, seemed to realize she had little desire to be the center of attention for so many gaping humans, and did his best to avoid them. Still reeling after all that had happened since her first descent to Earth in many years, it was an unexpected kindness that she appreciated.

At the end of a wide hallway lined with windows that overlooked a grand view of the city that the castle loomed over, they finally came to a stop before a door. They had made their way to the top floor, where distance from the great hall allowed quiet to rule once more.

"This should do it, I think," Gray said as he stepped forward and opened the door for her. When she hesitated to enter first, he did so in her stead. "We're not going to lock you in here," he reassured her, expression serious but voice lightly teasing.

Lucy decided pointing out that no mere human could cage her against her will was too rude to actually say to the man's face, especially after the courtesy he had shown her so far. So, she just sniffed and swept in, long skirts trailing behind her.

Gray left the door open behind him as he entered and watched the Princess examine her guest chambers. His eyes lingered on her delicate, glowing wings as they flicked up and down occasionally as something caught her interest. She seemed such a frail, ethereal creature at first look; but the man knew better than anyone else currently in the castle that this was an illusion. The blow she had struck him on breaking through the balcony door and knocked him senseless, and apparently cost her no more effort than a wave of a hand. He still wasn't sure if she had physically hit him, or if she had used some unfamiliar magic; it had all happened so quickly.

"Yes, this will do," the Princess in question said with a satisfied nod, her voice startling Gray from his reverie. Before he could make a snide comment on her tone, though, something about her features seemed to softened, and she added "Thank you, Lord Fullbuster. You have been...very kind, in light of this evening's events."

Gray blinked, taken aback as the woman graced him with a soft, penitent smile. She stood by one of the large windows, bathed in the light of the growing dawn, her ruined robe still clutched tightly in her arms. She'd had a terrible, wrathful sort of beauty to her before, but this was something entirely different.

Realizing that he was staring, Gray bowed to cover his lapse. "Not at all. All things considered, it's the least we can do."

Lucy bowed her head in reply, and the two stood awkwardly for a moment, neither quite sure what to say next. Finally, Gray said "Well, I should go. Just ring if you need anything and the staff will see to you."

He pointed to a silk cord dangling from the ceiling near one of the windows, and then vanished out the door, closing it quietly behind him.

Left to herself at last, Lucy stood silently by the window for some time, staring out across the battlements and into the city below. She focused very hard on breathing in hopes of staving off the inevitable. Eventually, though, her resolve cracked, and a sob escaped her. As she sank to her knees on the cool marble floor, another shoulder-shaking sob filled the quiet of the room, soon followed by a flood of tears before she buried her face in her ruined robe.


	5. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're on a roll! I promise we'll get to the NaLu eventually, guys XD Thanks to everyone who has left comments, you guys are awesome! Extra thanks to nighttimelights for the beta, and chikaede for the cover art!

_Three days passed without sight nor word from the Celestial Maiden, who locked herself in her room after Lord Fullbuster left her there. On the first day, she barely spoke to the maids that left food beside the door for her, and seemed intent on not leaving her chambers for anything, not even the Prince himself, when he tried to visit her._

_He was told politely, but firmly, that she was fine, and required nothing at all of him._

_Not deterred by this, the Prince brought the Princess her every meal thereafter, in hopes that she might speak to him, but she refused to do more than thank him, then maintained her silence until he was forced to leave by his assistants and pressing duties of state._

_The Librarian and the Iron Knight returned late the day after the Prince had, only to find that their quest had been for naught, and that the Celestial Maiden was to be the kingdom's guest for the foreseeable future._

_For three days after her return to the castle, the Librarian watched her Prince try and fail to speak with the Maiden, and on the third, she finally intervened._

"Your Highness?" Levy said in a gentle tone when she found Natsu lurking at the top of the stairs with a pained expression on his face and a tray of food in his hands.

The man glanced back down at her and grimaced as she ascended the stairs with a sympathetic smile on her lips .

"Hey, Levy. I was just-" He was unable to finish the sentence without releasing a heavy sigh, though, and the Librarian patted him comfortingly on the arm as she drew level with him.

"I think she hates me," he admitted unhappily. "I mean, I can't blame her, what with..." he gave a sort of half gesture with the tray in his hands, nearly spilling the glass of wine that perched precariously next to one of the covered plates.

"Everything," Levy finished for him. He nodded.

"Yeah. Everything. I just wish-" he began, then paused, seeming unsure of just what it was he wished in regards to the Princess who had barricaded herself in the guest suite down the hall.

Levy patted his arm again, her heart going out to the Prince's plight, even though he _had_ brought it on himself. Natsu had that sort of effect on people, though. He might be reckless and rash at times, but he always meant well. It was hard to dislike a man as kind-hearted as he was, even when he messed up in a monumental fashion that resulted in foreign royalty being marooned indefinitely in their country.

She could see that this particular error was eating him up from the inside though, even more so than usual. Granted, this was perhaps the largest error in judgment he had ever made...

"Why don't you let me take that for you, Highness?" Levy suggested as she reached out and gently lifted the tray from his hands before he could object. "The Princess and I spoke before in the forest, it could be that she'd be willing to do so again."

"But," Natsu began, nearly reaching out to take the tray back, only to stop mid-motion as he reconsidered. "Oh fine, maybe you're right. I'm probably the last person she wants to see," he admitted with another grimace before lighting up again and suggesting, "But Happy! Maybe if she met Happy, she'd...I dunno."

The Prince was clearly struggling with his desire to give the woman he'd wronged what she wanted, an overwhelming need to make her understand why he had done what he had, and the knowledge that what he had done was an unforgivable sin in her eyes.

"I'll do what I can," Levy replied, voice quiet but reassuring as she offered him a sympathetic smile.

He watched her for a moment, gray eyes dark and unreadable until he finally nodded, then left without another word.

She watched him go until he disappeared from sight on the first landing, then took a breath to gird herself, and marched down the hall to the Princess' room.

Before she could rethink her actions, the Librarian shifted the tray in her hands, gave the door a solid rap with her knuckles, and called, "Y-your Highness? I have your dinner, is it alright if I come in?"

"Just leave it by the door," called a quiet, almost lethargic voice from within.

Levy bit her lip as she considered her next course of action. She _could_ try to explain things through the door, but she hated doing that, and it was really difficult to make a case for one's self that way.

Making up her mind, the Librarian simply tried the knob, and was surprised to find that it twisted freely in her hand. Apparently everyone had only _assumed_ it was locked when the Princess refused them entry. Then again, who just walks in on royalty?

Librarians, apparently.

"I'm sorry, your highness, but I can't do that," Levy said, blushing furiously as she pushed her way into the room.

Lucy sat bolt upright from where she had been reclining in the window seat, fury at the girl's audacity written plain across her features as Levy moved across the room and placed the tray of food on a table.

"You-" she began, voice sharp until the intruder turned to look at her, face still red with embarrassment, and recognition flashed across her features "You," she said again, anger seemingly forgotten "you're the girl from before."

"Yes," Levy replied, feeling relieved when the other woman recognized her, and that she had not flown into a rage when she had entered uninvited. "I'm Levy McGarden, Royal Librarian."

"Royal Librarian?" the princess repeated, almost skeptically as she looked Levy up and down, no doubt taking in her apparent youth.

"Yes," the petite woman replied, pulling herself upright, standing as straight as she could, and preparing herself for the usual onslaught of questions and doubts people inevitably voiced when they found such a young woman holding such an important office in the castle.

"What was the kingdom's royal librarian doing out in the wilderness in the middle of the night on a full moon?" Lucy asked, obviously curious. Though she was still seated in the window seat across the room from the other woman, she now sat up straight and regarded Levy speculatively with her large, dark eyes.

"I-what?" Levy asked, completely wrong footed by the unexpected question. As her mind caught up, though, she had to concede that it was the more immediately obvious question for the foreign princess to ask. "We were trying to catch Prince Natsu before he found _you,_ actually," she admitted.

"We?" the princess began with a tilt of her golden head. Her crown, Levy noticed was nowhere to be seen. For a moment, she thought that the Maiden's wings were gone as well, until the Princess turned slightly, revealing that they were merely folded down along her back, nearly impossible to see against the afternoon sunshine pouring in through the window.

"Oh, the man you were with," Lucy said a moment later, answering her own question beat before Levy could. "The tall, dark one. Is he your helpmate?" she asked thoughtfully as her pale fingers played idly with a long coil of her golden hair that trailed over her shoulder and into her lap.

Faced (possibly for the first time in over a decade) with a word that she did not immediately recognize, Levy blinked and said, "My what?"

"Helpmate," Lucy repeated, seeming confused by Levy's lack of comprehension. "Um," she began, looking up at the ceiling as she tried to think of another word. "Oh, what is the human word for it…" she murmured to herself before trying again. "Companion? Consort?"

As the Princess' meaning began to sink in, Levy flushed bright red again "A-are you trying to ask i-if Sir Redfox is my _husband?_ " she stammered, voice tight as she clutched convulsively at the skirts of her gown to keep from flailing her hands in an un-ladylike manner.

"Ah, yes, that's the one," Lucy said, brightening as she looked at the other woman once more, only to be startled by the shocking shade of red she had turned. "O-oh, are you quite alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Levy squeaked, releasing her skirts to fan herself and feeling as though the royal cook could fry an egg on her face at the mere thought of _Gajeel_ as her _husband_ of all things.

"Here, drink this," the princess said, startling Levy by pressing a cool glass of water into her hands.

She hadn't even seen the other woman fetch it in her distraction, but she accepted it gratefully and drank it down in one go.

"I'm sorry," the princess said as the other woman drank "I didn't mean to embarrass you. The two of you seemed close, is all."

"Close? Really?" Levy asked shyly as she finished the water, face still tinged with pink, but no longer feeling ready to spontaneously combust.

Lucy gave Levy a canny look, a smile playing about her lips at the question, and the Librarian ducked her head as her blush threatened to flare up again.

Deciding to have pity on the girl, the Princess asked, "So, is it common for Royal Librarians to bring castle guests their meals?"

"No, not really," Levy replied, relieved that the other woman had let the subject of Gajeel drop. "The Prince was concerned since you wouldn't let anyone in," she explained.

Lucy paused in the middle of lifting a cover from one of the dishes on the tray Levy had brought to her. The warm scent of a cream based soup tickled her nose, but she kept her eyes locked on Levy as she asked, "He sent you?"

Sensing the sudden change in tone from the woman, Levy quickly answered "No. He was going to come himself…again. But I volunteered to come his stead, since you wouldn't let _him_ in either."

The two stared one another down for a long moment, Levy's disapproval of the Princess' ignoring of Natsu obvious from her tone, and Lucy's indifference to any hurt on his part just as apparent from the set of her shoulders.

"How very kind of you," Lucy said eventually, tone carefully neutral as she turned away from her.

"Most people around her are," Levy said encouragingly, watching as Lucy uncovered the other dishes to find what had been provided for her afternoon meal. "Kind, that is."

The Princess made a non-committal sort of noise as she stuck her finger delicately in the soup, then brought it to her lips for a taste while the other girl stood by, feeling increasingly awkward.

Giving up on any attempt to dance around the subject, Levy suggested, "We could go out, if you like, once you've eaten."

That got the woman's attention. Lucy glanced up at her, finger still in her mouth, and an almost comical look of surprise on her face. Her wings flashed brightly enough to be seen against the afternoon sunshine as they flared behind her, then settled back down again.

"I… I thank you, but no," she replied carefully, averting her eyes from the Librarian as she gracefully took her seat at the table and delicately spread her napkin across her lap.

"But why?" Levy asked, doing her best not to sound petulant. "There's a lot to see, even just here in the castle," she wheedled, but the Princess did not so much as glance up at her words.

Heaving a sigh, the Librarian was on the verge of giving up for the day when she looked around the room, taking in the details for the first time since barging in.

The window seat looked as though it had been the Princess' primary resting place for the last few days, though the bed did show signs of having been slept in, then inexpertly made. What really caught Levy's attention, though, was the book shelf. Half of its contents had been removed and were now stacked here and there around the room on tables, chairs, and the sill of the window seat.

Brightening at this unexpected insight into their guest, Levy suggested, "I could show you the library, if you like," with careful indifference. "We have the largest collection of books on the continent, you know."

Though she pretended not to notice, the Librarian knew the Princess had taken her bait when she noticeably stilled at the mention of the library.

"Oh?" Lucy replied with careful neutrality as she put down her soup spoon and turned her attention to the other woman.

Levy smiled beneficently and nodded, seeing through the Celestial Maiden's charade. "Yes!" she replied brightly. "And as Royal Librarian, I would be pleased to give you the complete tour...and let you check out as many books as you like."

"I would like that _very_ much," the Princess replied with unintended passion that made Levy feel guilty for baiting her, even if it _was_ for the woman's own good.

"Well, finish eating, and we'll go," Levy said with a smile.

Lucy nodded and turned her attention back to her food. After a few bites, though, she glanced back to Levy and gestured to the only other chair at the small table. "Would you like to sit?"

The Librarian blinked in surprise at the offer, then smiled again and nodded "Sure, why not?"

_It wasn't long before the Princess and the Librarian became fast friends; first bonding over their love of books, then over a gradually unveiled love of writing as well._

_Hours were spent together in the library, losing themselves in the stacks, heads bent over ancient, dusty tomes. The Princess continued to surprise the Royal Librarian as she came to know her better. She knew several human languages, some of them long since dead in their world, but apparently still taught in the Celestial Kingdom. The Princess also proved happy to help her new friend with her work, apparently not wanting her to fall behind in her tasks while entertaining the kingdom's royal guest. With her wings, the Princess made quick work of re-shelving returned books, and never complained or insinuated that it was beneath her._

_In fact, she seemed to enjoy it._

_After a few days spent in each other's company, the Librarian grew confident enough in their budding friendship to bring a guest with her to visit the Celestial Maiden; the little Exceed whose life had been saved by her robe._

"Hiya!" Happy said with his usual cheerfulness as he entered the room after Levy, pushing past the woman's skirts so he could run towards Lucy, all smiles and boundless energy. "I'm Happy!"

"H-hello, Happy," Lucy managed to eek out as the Exceed came to a halt at her feet and beamed up at her.

She had tensed the moment Levy declared that she had brought someone with her to visit today, and that hadn't subsided in the least when the visitor's identity was revealed. From the librarian's perspective, the Princess had gone stony and emotionless, and she wondered if she had pushed her too soon. Luckily, Happy simply wasn't the type of creature one could dislike for long.

"Everyone says that your robe saved my life," the cat said, staring up at Lucy with wide eyes, making her blink at him in turn. She hadn't expected him to simply come out and talk about the event that had trapped her here on earth.

"I have also been told that," she replied, still withdrawn, but not ignoring him either. To Levy, this was as good a sign as any.

Now, if the Exceed could just ease his way into the her good graces...

"Thank you so much!" Happy said, and abruptly launched himself at Lucy, startling an undignified yelp out of her when his furry little body collided with hers, and his small arms did their best to encircle her neck.

Lucy's wide-eyed gaze landed on Levy from over Happy's head, and the Librarian gave her an encouraging smile. Seeming lost, but no longer so withdrawn, the Princess replied, "I would say you're welcome, but I'm afraid it really had nothing to do with me."

"Oh I know," Happy said, lifting his head so he could look at the woman, a frown pulling at his expressive features. "Natsu did a bad thing, taking something that wasn't his, but," and here the cat smiled again "What's past is past, right? Since we can't undo what he did, and we're all here anyways, will you accept my thanks?"

Levy watched with bated breath as the princess stared down into Happy's open, honest face for a long minute, seeming to debate with herself internally. She appeared torn, and for a moment, it seemed as though things could go either way.

"I hope we can be friends, Princess Lucy," Happy added brightly.

The Princess sighed, then, and something seemed to soften in her manner. "I hope so too, Happy," she said with a gentle smile that seemed to light up the room.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Levy allowed herself a smile as the Exceed grinned with delight and hugged the princess once more. This time, she returned the gesture more earnestly, and when the exceed broke his hold on her and sat back, he broke into a stream of chatter that Lucy could barely keep up with.

Their friendship, it seemed, was off to a good start.


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same as usual, big thanks to nighttimelights for the beta, and chikaede for the awesome coverart! Make sure to drop a review if you enjoyed, they really help me keep writing!

"Why _do_ they call him the Dragon Prince, anyways?"

Lucy's question took Levy off guard "Excuse me?" she asked, not sure if she had heard right.

"The Prince," the Celestial Maiden said, nodding towards the man in question. "I have heard him called 'The Dragon Prince.' How did he get such a title?"

It had been two weeks since Lucy's arrival at the castle, and slowly but surely, she was venturing further from her chambers and meeting more people with Levy's help. Happy had been the leak that ruptured the dam, apparently, and new acquaintances flocked to meet their strange guest every day.

Levy and Happy kept the bulk of them at bay, though, and a word to Gray had resulted in an abrupt stemming of the tide to keep Lucy from becoming overwhelmed. The Princess wasn't sure what it was he had done, but it was obvious he had some power within the castle.

Despite her initial reluctance to so much as leave her chambers while trapped on earth, Lucy was finding herself more and more intrigued by the place, and by the people in it, with each passing day. Her presence on a terrace that overlooked one of the castle's many courtyards with Levy and Happy was at the invitation of one of her earliest acquaintances, Erza Scarlet, the captain of the royal guard that had nearly attacked her when she had first arrived. This particular courtyard was used as a training area by the castle guards, though at the moment said guards were all gathered around the practice ring, rather than in it. The ring itself was occupied by their prince and the Iron Knight.

As they watched the two men clashed, weighted wooden practice swords ringing with the force of their blows, the noise of it all forcing an end to any conversation. The men and women around them cheered raucously for their favorite, further adding to the din.

Lucy watched the match with some interest, though halfway through her attention was diverted by Levy, who had erupted in an ecstatic cheer when Gajeel landed a solid blow to Natsu's middle and sent him tumbling over backwards. Beside her, Happy booed and called for his friend to get up, which the Prince quickly did. He rolled deftly to his feet and charged immediately back towards his opponent. Natsu moved in low then sprang upward with a powerful slash that shattered not only his wooden blade, but Gajeel's as well.

Their positions suddenly reversed, Levy hissed and clapped her hands over her mouth in horror at this development, as Happy whooped in delight.

"Are they going at it _again_?"

Looking back at the man that had walked up behind them, Lucy smiled "Lord Fullbuster," she said, having to raise her voice to be heard over the din. The princess raised an eyebrow at his disheveled state, though, as she took in his sweat dampened hair, total lack of shirt, and the practice blade that he had shoved through his belt. "Have you been practicing as well? I didn't realize you knew how to use a sword."

"Yeah," the man said, idly wiping his brow with the towel that he had draped around his neck. "Most of us do, around here," he added as he turned his attention to the fight as well. Natsu and Gajeel were still going, despite their lack of swords. The match had quickly shifted into one of hand-to-hand combat.

"If you were a betting man," she said with a smile up at Gray as Levy and Happy continued to be distracted by the match, "who would you put your money on?"

"Now that the swords are out of the way, it's no contest," the man answered matter-of-factly. "Just watch."

Made curious by her friend's confidence, the Princess turned her attention fully to the fight to see how it might play out.

Both men were moving confidently, but though she had little eye for the martial arts, Lucy could tell almost immediately that Gajeel was outmatched. The contest had been close, but leaning in the Iron Knight's favor when it had been a battle of blades, but the tides were turning rapidly in their absence.

Gajeel threw a punch that Natsu deftly deflected with a hand before stepping in close, throwing the taller man off-balance with his shoulder before finishing the job with a sweep of his leg. The Iron Knight toppled to the ground, only just managing to roll away before his Prince could make a second move to pin him. His next attack, however, was his undoing as he lunged to his feet and threw a punishing side-kick. Rather than striking the other man in the gut as he had intended, his foot was caught and spun sharply by Natsu's calloused hands, forcing Gajeel to roll sideways in the air with the motion to avoid having his ankle broken.

He slapped the ground with his forearms to catch himself, but was too slow on the retreat, allowing Natsu time to leap onto Gajeel's back, straddling him as he looped his arms under the knight's and pulled back. The prince grinned, knowing that he had won. He planted his feet in the dirt and locked his hands behind his opponent's head, leaving the man to struggle and kick in vain against his hold.

"C'mon, say it, Gajeel!" Natsu grunted as he maintained his grip on the larger man, muscles bulging with the effort of it.

The Iron Knight strained his arms and attempted to roll sideways, anything to dislodge his Prince's hold. He growled as he fought, but none of it did any good.

"Fine, I give!" he snapped irately. "You win!"

As soon as the words left the other man's mouth, Natsu released his opponent and grinned triumphantly. He got to his feet and punched the air victoriously as the guards that had crowded in to watch the match cheered or groaned, depending on how they had placed their bets.

"I hope you choke on it," Gajeel grumbled from where he lay sprawled at Natsu's feet.

"Oh come on, don't be a sore loser," the Prince chided him as he leaned down with a smile and offered the man a hand up.

The knight rolled his eyes, but accepted the offer and allowed the other man to haul him to his feet. Natsu flashed him another one of his grins and said "It was a good match, you nearly had me there with the swords," he admitted.

"You broke yours on purpose," Gajeel accused him with a scowl, then punched the other man in the shoulder to drive home his words.

Natsu feigned a wince and rubbed at his shoulder before breaking into another smile, this one a little more wicked than the last, and the Knight knew he was right.

"He only did it because he knew he couldn't best you with a sword, Sir Redfox," a feminine voice said, cutting through the noise of the crowd "A disappointing move, and another testament to the fact that his Highness needs more practice."

This time Natsu really did wince as he turned and saw Erza observing them with one eyebrow raised and lips pulled into a small frown. She stood there, looking generally disapproving with her arms crossed over her chest as Gajeel snickered.

"Aw, come on, Erza-" the prince began.

She didn't let him finish, though. Rather, she said, "Still, at least you were able to make a favorable impression on our guest."

"What?" he asked, confused, brow furrowed until he followed the line of Erza's gaze up to the terrace that overlooked the courtyard. Natsu felt his stomach drop out from under him in surprise when he realized who she was looking at.

Levy and Happy were both there, waving frantically to him and the others. Though he didn't quite register it, behind him Gajeel let out a little groan as he too spotted their audience. Natsu's attention was all for the Princess, who stood between his two friends. Since allowing Levy to go to her, Natsu had occasionally seen Lucy in passing, but she had always seemed reluctant to do more than give him the barest of greetings before hurrying away again.

She had been avoiding him, and for some reason it _hurt_.

He had admitted as much to Erza a few nights before in a moment of weakness, and his confidant had counseled patience. She had reminded him (as if he _needed_ reminding) that he had done the woman a tremendous wrong, and she was well within her rights to resent him for it. All he could do, in the end, was hope for her forgiveness as he worked to make it up to her however he was able.

So far, the only reparation he had been able to make was hosting her in his castle while her robe mended. She wanted nothing else of him, it seemed, despite his ability to afford her so much more. Mirajane, scion of house Strauss and member of his council, had warned him against expensive gifts for the Princess, suggesting that she might feel he was attempting to buy her forgiveness.

That was the last thing he wanted, but still, the debt weighed heavily on his shoulders.

"How long have they been watching?" Gajeel asked, voice sounding a little strangled, though Natsu put it down to their fight, rather than the presence of the women.

"The whole time. I invited them," Erza explained, the smile that pulled at her lips verging on smug when Natsu turned to look at her.

"What? To watch our match?" he asked incredulously, only to have his idea promptly shot down by the woman's delicate snort.

"No, for afternoon tea," she said, waving him off. Anyone not familiar with her might have taken her words for a joke, but Natsu immediately knew she meant it "I simply had them meet me here first," she added, voice a little _too_ innocent.

It went clear over the Prince's head, but Gajeel gave her a sharp look, which she ignored. After a moment's thought, Natsu said, "Invite her to dinner, will you?"

"Don't you think that it's _your_ place to extend a royal guest an invitation, Highness?" Erza asked, arching a brow at him again.

The Prince heaved a put-upon sigh. "I already _did_. Several times, actually," he said despondently. "She shot me down every time."

"Ah," the red haired woman said, employing more tact than was generally her want in the face of the man's obvious disappointment. She cleared her throat and dropped him a short bow. "Of course, I will do as asked."

"Thanks, Erza," Natsu said with a relieved smile. Sending Levy to the Princess had worked out well last time, perhaps sending Erza would as well.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to just thank you very much for all the reviews that have been left so far, they really are wonderful and I appreciate every single one ;_; I don't always have time to respond to them, but just know that they are super appreciated guys! You have no idea how much they make my day!
> 
> Thanks again to my beta, nighttimelights, and to chikaede for the great cover art!

Later that evening, Natsu sat at the head of his table in the great hall feeling impatient for more than his dinner for once in his life. He was flanked on either side by what members of his council lived in the castle, as well as various nobles and people of state, all of whom chatted among themselves as they waited for the first course to be served.

At his left hand, Gray watched him fidget impatiently with some amusement, but looked around when the object of his study suddenly straightened in his seat as the door at the far end of the hall opened.

Natsu's face lit with hope when Erza appeared, dressed in a long, sapphire gown for dinner, but his expression fell just as quickly when the doorman shut the door behind her before anyone else could appear. She caught his eye as she walked down the length of the table to the place that had been left open for her, and gave a subtle shake of her head at his unspoken question.

The Princess would not be joining them.

"Sorry, Natsu," Happy said from his special made seat at the Prince's right hand as the man sagged back in his seat, a disappointed frown on his face.

Speculation as to why Lucy had declined his invitation yet again occupied his mind all through dinner, leaving him uncustomarily quiet for the length of the meal. This, in turn, prompted several members of his council to ask what weighed on his mind, which only served to irritate the prince further.

Before the imminent explosion could come to fruition, Gray stepped in and deflected attention from the prince and onto himself. The kindness of the gesture wasn't lost on Natsu, and he managed to crack a grateful smile at the other man who only smirked and turned to ask Makarov about rumors of recent trouble amongst their northern neighbors.

Finally left to himself once more, Natsu let his gaze drift down the length of the table as he ate. Many familiar faces sat there, some he liked more than others, and none of them could keep his attention at the moment. He sighed, suddenly annoyed at himself for the way he was acting. He had never been the type to languish when things didn't go his way, and he wasn't sure he why his was allowing himself to do so now.

A small voice in the back of his head suggested that he had never so painfully wronged someone before, but he ignored it.

What he needed was a little pick-me-up, then he'd be able to get back to business as usual. Maybe a short jaunt outside the capital to take in some fresh air and do some good would do the trick…

 

* * *

 

Sitting on the roof of the south tower beneath the light of the waning moon, Lucy wondered if she had made a mistake in turning down Erza's invitation to dinner. As the Commander had pointed out, she had already been introduced to many of the people who also regularly attended, so it wouldn't be as though she would be completely among strangers.

Still, if she _had_ gone, she would have been obligated to speak to _him._

She was being a terribly rude and an ungrateful guest to the Prince, Lucy knew, but she still hadn't been able to bring herself to exchange more than a few words with the man since the night of her arrival without feeling physically ill. The thought of trying to eat dinner with him was simply unbearable.

The Princess sighed and lay back against the roof, her wings safely tucked away in the magical 'between' space all her people used for that purpose so that they would not hamper her movements. The hard tiles dug into her back and thighs, but they were still pleasantly warm from the sun even an hour after sundown, so she ignored the minor discomfort for the time being.

As inexorable as the tide, Lucy's thoughts drifted back to Natsu. She didn't think that Levy and the others could fully understand the extent of the wrong he had done to her person, her very being. There simply wasn't a human equivalent. She knew they were doing their best not to become frustrated with her in the face of their differences, but she had a feeling that their patience was beginning to wane. She and Happy had taken to sharing evening flights around the castle and the surrounding countryside each night for the past week, but tonight she had received a message from him via a servant that he was otherwise occupied for the evening, and wouldn't be able to make it. There had even been a postscript that he might not be able to for the next several nights…

Yes, perhaps she really had made a mistake in snubbing dinner that evening.

The thought of losing what friends she had begun to make in this place didn't just hurt, but frightened the princess.

Oh to be home again…

A sharp pang echoed in Lucy's heart as she stared up at the waning moon, and brought tears to her eyes. She wondered what her sisters were doing, and what they had told their brother and father when they had returned from their trip to earth without her. It would be another two weeks before travel between the Celestial Kingdom and Earth would be possible again, and even then, she wouldn't be able to make the trip unless her robe were fully repaired. She doubted it would be by the time the full moon returned, the damage done to it had simply been too extensive.

For the first few days, she had been terrified that her robe wouldn't heal at all, but after near constant and compulsive checking on it, she realized that it was slowly mending itself. Even now, as it rested in a locked box at the foot of her bed, some of the holes in it's ephemerous fabric had closed, and it had regained some small fraction of its glow.

There was still a long way to go, though.

As she wondered idly if she should attempt the trip back to the springs in hopes of meeting her family when they inevitably came looking for her, the sound of distant voices reached her ears.

She ignored them, at first, until one briefly became raised enough for her to realize that it belonged to Gray. Her interest peaked, Lucy sat up and leaned forward so she could see over the lip of the roof, curious as to what the man would be doing out so late.

After a moment's squinting against the long shadows cast by the walls surrounding the main body of the castle, the Princess spotted Gray not far from the stables. Though she could no longer hear him, the man appeared to be arguing with a cloaked figure he had cornered next to a wagon stacked high with hay bales.

Concerned that the man she was quickly coming to consider a friend might be in some danger from the suspicious looking individual, Lucy stood and spread her wings behind her. With a graceful leap, the Celestial Maiden dropped from the roof of the south tower to that of the main hall, her long skirts fluttering around her legs as she descended.

A second leap brought her to the far end of the stables, and a third to the place just over the head of her quarry. Crouching cautiously on the opposite side of the roof peak so that the light of her wings would not give away her presence, Lucy prepared herself to jump to Gray's defense. As she paused to listen, the Maiden was surprised by what she overheard.

"Dammit, man you can't just _leave_ , not now!" Gray hissed in a low tone. As Lucy peaked over the roof down at him, she could tell by the set of his shoulders just how annoyed he was.

"Why not?" The man before him demanded, and the woman was shocked to realize that it was the prince hiding beneath the cloak, rather than some would-be assassin or spy. "Everything's fine. You'll get on without me fine for a few days," Natsu insisted.

"Or weeks," chimed in a third voice.

"Shut it, Happy," Natsu said, poking his companion, who squeaked and squirmed in his place under the Prince's hood.

So this was where the little Exceed had gone to that prevented him from meeting her? Well, him being out of the castle would certainly make that difficult.

While Lucy was a little hurt by this, her anger at the prince quickly eclipsed it. Without thinking, she jumped into the air and landed on the edge of the cart below with the quiet thump of bare feet on wood. She towered over them, perfectly balanced, as the two startled men who now stared up at her, mouths agape.

"You're just _leaving?_ " She demanded as she glared down at Natsu, her hands clamped into tight fists at her sides as she scowled down at him, suspicions running rampant through her mind. "What sort of treacherous Prince are you?"

"What?" Natsu asked dumbly, still staring at the fierce woman who had seemingly appeared from nowhere, glowing like a star as her wings flared behind her. Her words finally caught up with him after a moment, though, and he hurriedly said, "Wait, what? No! I'm not-" only to be cut off.

"And Happy, I thought you were my friend," Lucy said, expression turning from furious to hurt when she looked at the Exceed, who was peering out at her from beneath Natsu's hood.

"I _am_ your friend!" The little winged cat hastened to say as he scrambled out from his hiding place and hovered between her and Natsu, as though to shield him from her wrath. "We're just going on a little trip is all!"

"And what happens to me when you're gone and not here to be held to your word?" She asked Natsu, narrowing her eyes at him as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Whether he's here or not, his word does still stand," Gray interjected as Natsu tensed beside him, seeming offended by the idea that he might go back on his promise to the Princess.

"I thought you were just trying to stop him," Lucy asked Gray with a frown. "Now you want him to go?"

"No," the dark haired man said with a put-upon sigh. "I _want_ him to stay, but trying to stop him is like trying to make the sun rise in the west."

There was such a deep seated aggravation to the way Gray said this that Lucy couldn't help but soften towards him. This fact did not go unnoticed by the prince, who glanced between them, then said, "Well, if you're both so concerned, why don't we _all_ go?"

"What?" Gray and Lucy demanded in unison, turning to stare at Natsu as though he had grown a second head.

"Natsu, that's a great idea!" Happy exclaimed brightly as he flew dizzying loops around the group. "It'll be fun!"

"You're not gonna drag me and the Princess into thi-" Gray began, but was cut off when Lucy unexpectedly said, "Fine!"

Natsu blinked in surprise, and then broke into a tremendous grin at the Princess' declaration. Gray simply stared at the woman as she stepped off the wagon's edge and landed before them, looking at the both of them defiantly, as though she expected both of them to try and stop her.

The young lord considered it for half a moment until he saw how enthusiastic the Prince was that his invitation had been accepted.

Despite the regularity with which they argued, Gray was Natsu's closest confidante. Happy may have been the Prince's closest friend, but it was Gray with whom the Prince debated his personal choices, the one he relied on to take him down a peg when he needed to be made to see reason (though sometimes that job was too much for the young Lord, and he would have to send Erza to do it in his place).

That being the case, Gray was one of the first people Natsu had gone too with his concerns about Lucy when she refused to see him. So, in his Prince's place, he had gone out of his way to befriend the strange woman to be sure that she had everything she needed.

He hadn't expected to become quite so fond of her so quickly, though, and watching the two royals stare one another down now (one cheerful, the other wary), he wondered how he had wound up in the middle of such a mess.

Again.

"Alright, fine, we'll _all_ go," Gray said, sounding every inch of exasperated as he felt. He was forced to raise his voice over Natsu and Happy's cheers to tell the Princess, "You definitely can't go dressed in _that_ , though," as he pointed at her dress.

"Excuse me?" She said, startled as she glanced at him, and then down at her dress. She seemed to catch his meaning, though and added, "Well, no...I suppose not."

Natsu nodded his agreement, then turned to Happy and said, "Quick, to the laundry!" And ran off, cloak flapping behind him as he ran.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, you know what sucks? Being sick. You know what ALSO sucks? Having allergies. You know what REALLY SUCKS? Being sick and having allergies AT THE SAME TIME. Welcome to my life. Please send tissues. Reviews totally make me feel better though ;D

"So, where _are_ we going, anyways?" Lucy asked Gray several minutes later as they stood in the kitchens, the young lord scrawling a note explaining their absence with a bit of charcoal on a stray sheet of baker's parchment paper.

"Gods only know," the man answered as he put an end to the letter and tossed his makeshift writing implement back into the massive fireplace "Generally, though, Natsu doesn't go anywhere in particular. Just kinda…wanders," he admitted as he turned to look at the princess once more.

She stood, examining one of the kitchen's huge stove-tops with some curiosity, her hands folded neatly behind her as she leaned in. Being that it was late enough at night that the dinner staff had all gone for the evening but still early enough that the bakers had yet to come in to start the day's bread rising, the huge room was silent but for them.

"What? Why?" Lucy asked as she turned to look back at him, confusion writ clear across her lovely face.

"I expect you'll find out," Gray remarked, his dark eyes bright with amusement, making her raise an eyebrow at him "Sure you still want to come? He likes to keep moving; this won't be an easy trip." he stated off-handedly, a hand hovering over the letter he had just finished, as though ready to crumple it at her word.

Rising to the challenge at the doubt in his tone, the princess raised her chin and squared her shoulders. "Of course. I said as much, didn't I?"

Natsu's sudden reappearance via the small side door that lead into the kitchen from the small herb garden outside allowed Gray to stifle his laugh without Lucy taking notice. She'd thought he doubted her ability to keep up with them, but really he was simply goading her to make sure the Prince's antics weren't enough to put her off coming in the first place. A road trip, he'd decided after some thought, might be just what the royal pair needed to reconcile with one another.

"Here, change into these," Natsu commanded, Happy trailing in after him bearing a pair of boots. In Natsu's arms was a bundle of clothes and he thrust them at Lucy unceremoniously, a wide grin on his face. "Might be a bit big, I think they're Erza's, but should be good enough."

Reflexively, Lucy took the bundle from him before it was dropped, and looked down at it. "Did you _steal_ these? I can't just take someone else's things!" she objected, including Happy in her disapproving look when he placed the boots at her feet.

"Oh it's just Erza, she won't mind," Natsu said with a careless flap of his hand. Gray gave him a skeptical look, though, forcing him to add, "If it's for _you,_ she won't mind."

When Lucy still didn't appear convinced, the prince sighed impatiently and said, "Look, you wanna come or not? Because you can't go dressed like a princess - they'll find us before we get more than a mile out!"

"Plus it'll ruin your pretty dress!" Happy chimed in as he landed on Natsu's shoulder and shot the princess a pleading look.

Lucy looked from face to face, seeming torn, before finally sighing and saying "Oh very well, but Gray, I want you to add an apology to Erza in your letter."

"As you wish," Gray said with a snort of amusement before fetching another piece of charcoal up out of the fireplace and getting to work.

"Good," Natsu said, face split by a broad, satisfied smile. "Now hurry and get changed before the morning staff comes in and the jig is up," he instructed, pointing the woman towards the pantry.

"Excuse you?" Lucy demanded, clearly taken aback as the prince laughed at the expression on her face.

_The Princess, Prince, Lord, and Exceed all left shortly after, creeping through the shadows of the courtyard until they came to a shed that stood at the base of the castle's outer wall. The Princess wondered why the Prince and his friends had decided to sneak out here of all places, until she realized that the angle of the nearby tower left it in the guard's blindspot._

_The Lord and his Prince climbed up onto the roof of the shed with some effort as the Exceed and the Princess watched. When the two men had made it onto the wall, they signaled the all clear, and their companions flew over and met them on the opposite side._

_They moved quickly after that, avoiding roads in favor of narrow deer paths through deep forests the Celestial Maiden had not seen the like of around her home on the Moon. They spoke little, though they did stop at a rocky overhang at one point, and the Dragon Prince produced two packs full of gear that he had apparently stashed there at some point in the past._

_Unused to walking, the Princess soon grew tired, but refused to admit it, or the fact that her borrowed boots chafed at her delicate feet, which were accustomed to the finest of silk slippers, rather than tough leather and wool socks. So, dampening the light of her wings as much as she could, she would hover to keep pace with the men, who were clearly used to this sort of thing, when she grew too tired to walk._

_For the first two days, the Celestial Maiden was far too tired from keeping up to do more than collapse into an exhausted heap on the sleeping roll she was provided, but by the third, she had acclimated enough to remain awake and try to assist with setting up camp. After a few tries, though, her companions waved her off, clearly having an ingrained routine that she was only interfering with._

Feeling rather put out, Lucy huffed and took herself a few yards away to where a small stream flowed between grassy banks, its quiet babbling soothing her rising temper. Realizing that its cool waters might be just as soothing to her aching feet, the Celestial Maiden found a rock that jutted a ways out into the water, and proceeded to strip off her uncomfortable boots and thick woolen socks. Her fingers fumbled a bit with the laces, but she managed.

After carefully laying her socks aside, Lucy took a moment to examine her feet, and grimaced at what she found. Angry red marks decorated them where her boots had rubbed, then formed blisters that had eventually broken. There was a particularly bad spot at the back of her left heel that stung sharply at her touch and nearly brought tears to her eyes.

She knew it was stupid of her to walk so much when she wasn't used to it, but her pride simply wouldn't let her take the easy way out and fly the entire way when the men made it look so _easy._ She wasn't sure why, but Lucy didn't want them to think her weak. She wasn't, of course, magically speaking anyways, but it simply wasn't the same. If humans could do it, then surely _she_ could too!

The sound of footsteps behind her spurred Lucy into rolling up the legs of her pants (The one thing about her stolen clothes that she had found quite nice, unlike her boots. They were far easier to travel in than her usual voluminous dresses) and thrusting her aching feet into the cold water of the stream. She nearly yelped as the current ran over her blisters, but was glad of it a moment later as the pain began to ease.

Without so much as a by-your-leave, Gray settled himself down on the rock a short distance downstream from Lucy, a fishing rod in hand, and Happy trailing eagerly along after him.

"Gray's gonna catch our dinner!" the Exceed declared brightly to the princess, who smiled at her little friend.

"Oh, is that so?" she remarked as she turned her eyes to the young lord beside her.

"That's the plan, anyways," Gray said "Doesn't always pan out."

"What, the fish do not simply throw themselves at your feet when you approach the water's edge?" the princess said, a smile pulling at her lips.

"Well, not _every_ time," the Lord replied, air serious as he baited his hook, tested that the bobber was firmly attached to the line, then flicked the lot expertly into the current. All three watched the little float drift serenely along the current until it reached the extent of the thread, and stayed there.

"And where is his highness?" Lucy asked offhandedly, pride still stinging a little from her dismissal from camp duties.

"Off collecting firewood," Happy answered, flicking an ear towards the thick woods on the opposite side of the stream. In the distance, the princess could catch the occasional flicker of pink that gave away the man's location.

For a time all three sat in peace, the Celestial Maiden thoroughly amused by the intensity with which Happy in particular watched the surface of the water. Eventually, though, she stirred from her silence and asked, "Would you answer a question for me, Lord Fullbuster?"

"Only if you stop calling me Lord Fullbuster," the man grunted, nose wrinkled in disapproval "Out here, it's just Gray, Princess."

The Celestial Maiden was taken aback for a moment, but soon smiled and said, "Then I am just Lucy."

The Lord glanced over at her, one brow arched briefly before a smile curled the edges of his lips "Yeah, fair enough then."

"That makes me just Happy, then!" the exceed between them said as he turned his head up to grin at the Princess, who laughed lightly in turn.

"You're _always_ just Happy," Gray grumbled as he reeled his line in a little before it could become tangled on a partially submerged log in the center of the stream.

"Nuh-uh! Sometimes I'm _Master_ Happy!"

"Just Happy it is, then," Lucy cut in quickly before the pair could begin to argue.

When peace reigned again, Gray cleared his throat and asked "So what was the question?"

Suddenly having second thoughts, Lucy hesitated a moment before making herself commit to asking.

"Why is the prince called 'The Dragon Prince'?" she asked. "Levy never had a chance to answer me the day we left." In retrospect, though, she was beginning to wonder if maybe the Librarian had simply avoided giving her an answer.

Gray didn't turn to look at her as she spoke, but he gave it a moment's thought before saying, "It's not really my place to tell you. Levy knew that too, which is why she probably never answered."

"Not your-" Lucy repeated, brow furrowed at the unsatisfying answer she had been given.

"If you want an answer, you'll have to ask him yourself, 'cuz you won't get it out of anyone else," Gray said, tone firm as he looked at her, dark eyes holding hers to drive his point home.

The princess stared, thoroughly baffled. It could hardly be a secret, surely? After all, it was common servants and guards she had heard bandying the term about. If _they_ knew, surely there was no reason _she_ shouldn't? Still, the idea of straight up asking Natsu the meaning behind his title gave her pause, and a distinctly uncomfortable fluttering in her stomach.

Frowning to herself at this sudden conflict, she sighed and gave up for the time being. Perhaps an answer would come to her from another source.

"May I ask another question, then?"

"Shoot," Gray said, apparently unbothered by her questions. Though she couldn't possibly know it, the man was actually glad of them. Their foreign guest showing something other than a deep-rooted dislike of her host was promising in his book, and something to be fostered, if only to help alleviate some of the guilt he knew still plagued his friend.

"Why is the Prince a prince at all?" Lucy asked as she pulled her long hair over one shoulder and began to plait it. When her companions gave her a questioning look, she clarified "I mean, the Kingdom has no King or Queen, from what I have gathered, and the Prince rules uncontested...so why has he not been crowned King? Is he not of age?"

This last statement seemed unlikely to Lucy, as Natsu seemed roughly her own age, possibly even a few years older. It was entirely possible, though, that Fiore had some greater age restriction than those kingdoms she had studied growing up.

Happy and Gray shared a look that was equal parts reluctance and discomfort. It didn't go unnoticed by the Celestial Maiden.

"What, _more_ secrets?" the woman huffed, pausing in her braiding to scowl at both of them.

"Nooooo," Happy began slowly, drawing the vowel out as he rubbed his cheek with a paw and looked to Gray for an answer.

"It's just...complicated," Gray said.

"It's not all _that_ complicated," Natsu said as he emerged from the treeline a little downstream of them. He was so laden with firewood, though, that none of them could see his face. The pile extended above his head, and the princess wondered how he had managed to stack so many pieces without dropping them all.

"Are you building a fire, or a house?" Lucy teased lightly as she observed the Prince's haul.

Natsu craned his head around his burden and blinked at the Celestial Maiden, who blinked back and wondered self-consciously just what it was he was staring at. Before she gave up and asked, though, the Prince broke into a broad grin that stretched from ear to ear and said, "Hey, you _do_ have a sense of humor!"

"Of course I do!" Lucy objected, clearly offended by the implication that she did not. She flushed a little when Gray looked up from his fishing bobber and raised one skeptical eyebrow at her "W-what?" she demanded.

The prince laughed and dropped the firewood, then approached the trio to tower over Lucy. He crossed his arms over his chest, then, and teased, "Well come on then, prove it! Let's hear another joke."

"I don't have to produce jokes on demand to have a sense of humor!" the Celestial Maiden insisted huffily as she glared up at the man.

The smug, victorious smirk that began to spread over Natsu's features pricked the woman's pride, though, and she found herself unable to remain silent. He wanted jokes? So be it!

Releasing her newly braided hair to fall in her lap, she quipped, "I don't see why you need to hear a joke from _me_ when you have a face like that, anyways. Go look in a mirror if you want a laugh!"

The hoot of laughter her jab startled from Gray was highly gratifying, as was the way Happy practically fell over giggling. However, the tight, smug grin that overtook her features was all thanks to the expression of utter shock on Natsu's. He stood there, staring down at her, mouth agape for so long that she wondered if she hadn't done him some harm.

Before she could express any concern though, the Prince threw his head back and laughed long and hard, much to her surprise. He wiped furtively at the tears of mirth that threatened to spill from his eyes, and shook his head as he admitted, "Alright, that was pretty good."

"You got what you deserved," Gray added with a snort, a smile still playing across his pale features as he settled himself back into his fishing.

Natsu shook his head, still smiling as he turned his back on them and began to gather up an armful of the wood he had dropped a few moments before.

"Well, are you going to answer the Prin-" Gray caught himself just as the woman beside him gave him a sharp look, "-answer Lucy's question?"

"I should probably get the fire started..." the Prince began, his back to all three of them.

"It's not even dark," Happy observed as he rolled onto his back and gazed skyward. The sun was getting low, but it would still be more than an hour before the light truly began to wane.

"And you're the one that said it wasn't all that complicated," Gray added smugly. "You can do both."

Natsu turned and narrowed his eyes at the pair, neither of whom 'happened' to be looking in his direction when he did so. The Prince's gaze flickered to Lucy, who was watching him with dark eyes, head tilted slightly to one side, as though she were mulling over some puzzle. When she caught him looking, she arched one eyebrow and he turned away again, calloused hands grabbing at several bits of wood to distract himself.

"Yeah, alright, fine," he said reluctantly, then spontaneously added, "But you have to help me build the fire in exchange."

The princess seemed surprised by this, and, in fact, was tempted to make some snide comment about him deigning to allow her to assist. Something in the tightness of the man's shoulders, though, made Lucy check the impulse though.

Instead, she turned aside and shook her feet dry, then hurriedly dragged her socks and shoes back on before her companions could discover the blisters she had developed. When she was ready, Lucy pushed herself to her feet and brushed herself off, then asked "What do you need?"

"Tinder," Natsu answered, relieved that the princess had apparently decided not to take umbrage with him for a change. Maybe he was finally making progress with her after all.

"You know, bits of dry grass and leaves and stuff," he clarified.

"I know what tinder is," Lucy said with an expressive roll of her eyes as she turned and did as asked while the Prince began to clear a spot for their prospective fire. Granted, she'd never actually had to build a fire before, but she'd read more than enough books to get the general gist of the thing.

Unsure of how much they would need, but unwilling to expose her ignorance by asking, Lucy didn't return until she had nearly an armful of things she felt would make for good tinder. By that time, Natsu had already set the frame of the fire-to-be with sizeable branches arranged in a cone, and was building a ring of rocks as a border around it with Happy's help.

"No river rocks, remember?" the Prince chided his small friend, whose ears went pert with surprise, and he tossed the rounded stone he had brought to one side.

"Whoops! I almost forgot!" the exceed said before bounding off for another.

"Why not river rocks?" Lucy asked curiously as she approached, passing Happy on her way.

Natsu looked up to answer her, only to pause when he saw her armload. The man tried to suppress a smile, but failed, and before he could bring himself to resist the temptation, he asked, "Are we building a fire, or burning down a house?"

The princess scowled to hear her own joke thrown back at her, and took her vengeance by throwing a fistful of dry leaves and grass directly in the man's face.

He sputtered and wiped at his eyes, complaining loudly as he did. When his vision was finally clear, he scowled at the woman, only to be taken off guard by the vaguely embarrassed look she gave him as she admitted, "I didn't know how much we'd need."

"Are you two playing nice over there?" Gray called from the stream bank, glancing back over his shoulder at the pair.

"Don't worry, Gray, I think they're okay," Happy said with a grin as he returned and placed another (non-river) rock in the circle. Before the Lord could respond, there was a tug at his line and he became occupied with reeling in what he hoped was to be their dinner. The exceed gave an excited shout and ran to his side to watch.

The royal pair watched them with twin expressions of amusement for a moment, unaware of their shared sentiment until Natsu cast his eyes to Lucy. Seeing his sentiments mirrored on her ethereal features gave him a start, his heart jumping strangely in his chest.

He must have moved, or made some sound, as the Celestial Maiden looked to him then, and crooked a questioning eyebrow. Feeling oddly flustered at being caught out so, Natsu turned immediately to the fire and began to insert tinder at the heart of the carefully stacked wood he had gathered.

The princess watched him closely, brow furrowed in concentration, seeming intent on committing his every gesture to memory. Initially unnerved, Natsu was relieved when he realized that she was watching his hands rather than his face, which made it easier for him to get on with things.

"Lucy, would you grab the net?" Gray shouted back over his shoulder at them, making the woman look around to see Happy struggling to do just that.

"Coming!" she called and jumped to her feet. The princess hurried to where the men had stacked the backpacks and tugged the net Happy was wrestling with from amongst them, dragging the exceed with it.

"Hurry, Lucy, hurry!" the little cat cried, still clinging to the net as she ran, only releasing it when she tried to hand it off to Gray.

"Well don't give it to me, dummy, get the fish!" the young Lord commanded as he reeled in the last few feet of fishing line.

"Dummy-!" the princess objected, but thrust the net out over the water all the same as the fish at the end of Gray's line thrashed noisily, splashing water up Lucy's legs and making her yelp.

Before he could chide her, though, she crouched on the bank and tried to scoop their prize out of the water. It took a few tries, but eventually, she managed to capture the writhing creature, earning her a jubilant cheer from Happy which made her grin as she stood and fought to maintain her hold on the frame of the net.

"N-now what?" she asked Gray, who put down his fishing pole and rolled his eyes at her as he got to his feet.

"Well I don't know about you, but I prefer when my dinner's not trying to jump off my plate," he mused as he reclaimed his prize and took the fish firmly in one hand and removed the hook from its mouth with the other.

Pulling a knife from his belt, Gray put the struggling fish on the rock at his feet, and dealt it a swift strike to the head with the pommel of his blade. It twitched a few times before he proceeded to gill, gut, and clean his catch. The brutality of it, brief as it had been, made Lucy wince, but she had to appreciate the way he had kept the creature's suffering brief.

"Here, take that to Natsu," Gray said, holding the fish out to her as he leaned over and proceeded to rinse his knife. When she did not immediately do so, he looked up at Lucy in question to find her staring at their soon to be meal with a strange mix of horror and determination. She would reach out as though to take it, only to snatch her hand back with a grimace before she came in contact with it's slime-coated scales.

"Well go on," he said, giving it a shake. The gesture startled an unhappy noise from the princess as she reached out again and appeared ready to grab it around the middle this time "No not like that, you have to grab it by the gills here or you'll drop it."

The young Lord took her hand then and pushed her fingers under the fish's gill flaps and into the wet, unpleasantly squishy flesh of the gills themselves. The choked yelp the woman released made him laugh, and he released her wrist, nearly making her drop their dinner. To her credit, she held onto it and turned to do as she was told, Happy hopping excitedly around her feet as she bore her burden to the Prince.

Natsu had been watching all this unfold from his place by the now blazing fire, and he was grinning when she approached. Her distressed expression, though, tempered his amusement and he resisted the temptation to tease her further.

"Thanks," he said, accepting the fish when she held it out to him. Then, unable to let it go there, he added "Sorry," though he wasn't entirely sure what he was apologizing for. Putting her so far out of her element, perhaps.

Lucy gave him an uncertain look that resolved itself into a weak smile when she realized he was being sincere.

"Well, I did want an adventure," she mused with a self-deprecating chuckle.

Natsu grinned.


End file.
